Improvement in fire-proof safes



UNITED STATES- PATENT Qrrcnt CHRISTIAN EURICH, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY,AND CHARLES RAEITIG, OF STAPLETON, NEW YORK.

l IMPROVEMENT IN FIRE-PROOF SAFES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 152,553, dated June 30,1874; application -filed June 1, 1874.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Beit known that we, CHRISTIAN EURICH, of Newark, in the county of Essexand State of New Jersey, and CHARLES RAnrrrG, of Stapleton, in thecounty of Richmond and State of New York, have invented an ImprovedCompressing Attachment to Fire- Proof Safes, of which the following is aspecification:

Figure l isa front elevation, partly in section, of a tire-proof safeprovided with our improved compressing attachment. Fig. 2 is a verticaltransverse section of thc same, taken on the plane of the line c c, Fig.l. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section ofthe same, taken on theplane of the line c la, Fig. l; and Fig. 4, a horizontal sect-ion of thesame on the line 7c la, Fig. l.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

The object of this invention is to provide fire-proof safes with anattachment, whereby their most valuable contents may7 be mostpositivelyr protected against even the charring eifect of great heat.Our invention consists in supplying a safe with a pair of parallelmovable plates which, by means of screwshafts, may be brought nearer toor farther away from each other, so that valuable books and papers maybe firmly clamped between them, in order to exclude air from between theleaves of the compressed papers. The latter will then, even if exposedto a direct iiame, be proof against its effects, as oxygen, necessaryfor combustion, cannot reach the leaves. Our invention also consists incombining with the movable plates .of the press intermediate slidingplates, which will constitute adjustable partitions for the compressedbooks or papers, and increase the efficiency of l the'attachment.

In the drawing, the letter A represents the body of adire-proof safe ofordinary or suitable construction. B and C are the two plates of thepress, placed within the safe parallel to and in line with each other.These two plates are suspended from screw-shafts D D, that are hung inthe safe, the plates containing proper female screws where the shafts Dpass through them. The two shafts D D are, by means of pinions a a,connected to a toothed wheel, b, which is hung in the safe, so that whensaid wheel is turned by a crank-handle, d, the two shafts will berevolved in the same direction, and with equal speed. The plates B and Cwill thereby be moved toward each other or apart, according to thedirection in which the screws are turned.

The books or papers that are to be insured against all possible dangerof fire are placed between Vthe plates B C, and the latter are thenscrewed toward each other until they y firmly compress the said books orpapers.

In order to properly subdivide diiferent sizes of books or papers, anddifferent classes thereof, we arrange between the plates B C one or moresliding partitions, E E, which can be placed at any desired positionwith respect to ea-ch other and to B C, to divide the books that are inthe press into lots of the required extent.

It is clear that our press may be used with like effect without beingplaced within a tireproof safe, provided the plates B and C and the barsthat connect them are made of iireproof material.

We claim as our inventionl. A press for protecting books and papersagainst lire by compression, composed of the two parallel movable platesB ,and C, which are connected with and hung on shafts D D, having rightand left screw-threads, substantially as and for the purpose hereinshown and described. 2. The sliding plates E E, arranged within aiire-proof press, B C, to serve as adjustable partitions, as describeCHRISTIAN EURICH. CHARLES RAETTIG. Witnesses:

F. V. BRIEsEN, E. C. WEBB.

